Owls get eliminated

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The William Woods Owls survived one elimination game Tuesday, but couldn’t pull off the trick twice.

The Owls lost 16-15 in eight innings to Davenport, Mich., and were eliminated from the Davenport Bracket of the NAIA National Tournament.

The game was a wild affair, featuring a combined 27 hits and nine errors.

Davenport scored four runs in the top of the first inning, only to see William Woods take a 5-4 lead after two in the first and three in the third.

The Panthers retook the lead at 7-6 after three innings, then added two more in the fourth.

A five-run top of the sixth made it 14-6 in favor of Davenport.

But that’s when William Woods started an improbable comeback, scoring three in the bottom of the sixth and then forcing extra play with five in the bottom of the seventh. However, the Owls left the bases loaded in the seventh when a groundout ended the inning.

Each team scored in the eighth, but Davenport got two to William Woods’ one to win it. The Owls got the tying run to second in that frame, but a fielder’s choice ended the game.

Lindsey LeCuru (Helias High School) went 3-for-6 with three RBI for the Owls, while Shelby LeCuru (Helias High School) went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Hannah Campbell (Russellville High School) had one hit and Brailee Schulte (Jefferson City High School) drove in one run.

MacKenzie Bowden (Jefferson City High School) took the loss, pitching a total of five innings during two different stints in the circle in the game. She allowed eight earned runs on five hits and six walks while striking out nine.

Earlier in the day, the Owls staved off elimination with a 9-1 win against Huntington, Ind., by winning 9-1 in six innings.

The game was tied at 1 after three innings, but the Owls ended it early by getting one in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth.

Campbell went 2-for-4 with one RBI for William Woods, Lindsey LeCuru went 2-for-4 and Shelby LeCuru chipped in with one hit.